Tucked into the north-west corner of the walled city, Guangren is the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Xi'an and one of very few outside Tibet and Inner Mongolia that has stayed in continuous Tibetan use since the Qing dynasty. The temple was founded in 1705 by the Kangxi Emperor as a stopover for envoys travelling between Beijing and Lhasa. The main hall holds a Yongle-era gilt bronze of the Buddha and a tooth relic said to have come from the Sakyamuni's cremation.
The setting is small and atmospheric — prayer flags, butter lamps, the low chant of resident monks — and refreshingly free of tour groups. The walk in from the North Gate of the city wall takes about ten minutes.